South Africa will enroll 12 000 police officers before the end of this year as part of efforts to rebuild its police force after the worst riots since the end of apartheid claimed 354 lives in 2021.
The defense department has advertised for Bachelor’s of Science graduates, as well as others from different academic fields hoping to prevent and fight crime, Defense Minister Thandi Modise said at a press briefing. Her comments came after President Cyril Ramaphosa promised a law-enforcement revamp in his state-of-the-nation address.
“We will continually assess the capacity levels of South African Police Service, and recruit accordingly to ensure that we increase the strength of the police from the 180 000 officers to service the country’s population of more than 60 million people,” Modise said.
Seven thousand officers have almost finished basic training and a further five thousand will begin basic training in 2023. Stretched units including family violence, child protection and the sexual offenses investigating unit, will be beefed up, she said.
Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana allocated funds to the police, mostly for the hiring of new officers, in his February 23 budget. On average, more than 60 people are murdered each day in South Africa, and rampant criminality has been cited as a major deterrent to investment.
- – Bloomberg
